Impacting the Workplace for Christ

We must always be aware that there are leaders who can build great organizations on natural gifts. Say the right words, be smart enough to do the right things, be insightful enough to connect with the right people and one can go a long way before anyone discovers the inner life is close to empty. (Gordon MacDonald)

I want to be known as someone with spiritual depth. This means being genuinely interested in the people I work with, getting to know what they stand for and believe in, and sharing what I stand for with them. People have often shared personal issues with me or asked open-ended questions about the challenges of life. I’ve noticed that as I’ve focused on encouraging and developing others, the opportunities to teach and mentor have increased. My colleagues have noticed that I welcome the opportunity to share thoughts on how to cope with challenges and issues and am genuinely interested in their success. The result has been increased trust. This increased trust has led to an increased commitment to each other, and in turn a deeper, more meaningful relationship. The deeper relationships have allowed me to better understand the needs of my colleagues and better serve them. It used to be that work was a place where I did my job. Now work is a community of friends and colleagues where we share with each other and work together to overcome challenges.

Character Development

He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit. (John 15:5)
I used to focus on developing new skills on the job to ensure growth and advancement. Now my focus is to mature in my faith through character development. My goal is to conform more and more to the image of Christ—to practice the spiritual disciplines and to fulfill my calling to glorify God. My faith in God and obedience to His will have given me peace. The cross and the salvation I received from Christ give me an eternal perspective. A 75-year life span is equivalent to five minutes in eternity. I have learned to put aside worries about my career path, reorganizations, and work force reductions. If a major change at work occurs tomorrow, I am okay with that. I will assume that I’ve graduated from my current “class” and that it’s time for the next part of the Lord’s calling for me. This has given me a broader perspective and calmness that has made me more effective in performing my job. I’ve learned that work/life balance isn’t just about how much time I have outside of work to spend with my family. It’s also about having a peace of mind that allows me to weather the storm in good times and bad.
As I continue to grow in Christ, the fruits of the spirit should be more evident in my life. In addition to peace, others should see love, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

Chris T. Morris is Vice President, Strategy, Planning, and Reporting at Freddie Mac in McLean, Virginia. Chris recently completed the Year One Fellows Program at the C.S. Lewis Institute and is currently a Year Two Fellow. He has held positions in strategic planning, corporate development, private equity, and corporate finance over the past two decades. Chris also serves on the C.S. Lewis Institute Board of Directors. He has a B.A. in economics from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. Chris is married with two children, and is a member of McLean Bible Church.

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